The girl who had just showed up was Hua Jieyu, the legend of the academy.
She had become a legend not only for her unmatched beauty, but for the fact that she had managed to ace every test of the Fall Quarter Exam from the first year she had been admitted.
"You call her a beauty?" The middle-aged man looked at Ye Futian with confusion as Hua Jieyu stared at him.
"Professor, she is just too gorgeous to be human," Ye Futian laughed and explained. It was apparent to him that there was some relationship between the professor and Hua Jieyu, which made the compliment necessary.
"Okay. Sounds like you know how to talk." The professor smiled and sipped his tea, then looked at Ye Futian. "Everyone in this academy could be your master. If you want to learn more in the future, come see me; I would be okay with you calling me master."
Hua Jieyu was confused by her father. He had stopped accepting students for so long; how talented would Ye Futian have to be to get him to make an exception?
"Greetings from Ye Futian, your humble student," Ye Futian saluted.
The professor nodded and said, "I never cared about these unnecessary and over-elaborate formalities. The Fall Quarter Exam is about to start. Go prepare yourself."
"What? Today?" Ye Futian was shocked. He had not realized how long he had slept.
Ding, ding, ding. As if responding to him, the academy bell rang, the sound reverberating all over the place. Ye Futian looked off towards the distance. It was finally time.
"Jieyu, send him out," the professor told her. Hua Jieyu noticed that Ye Futian looked a bit proud.
"Come on, let's go." Hua Jieyu began leaving.
"I haven't changed yet.," Ye Futian said. The clothes on him had to have belonged to the professor.
"Then go change." Hua Jieyu was giving him the cold shoulder. Ye Futian caught up to her and asked, "So, what should I call you? Ms. Hua Senior or Ms. Hua Junior?"
"Neither."
"Well then, fox it is," Ye Futian shrugged, "What plane are you in now, fox?"
Hua Jieyu ignored his questions.
"People say that you are a Mandate Sorcerer, is that true?" Ye Futian kept asking still without a response.
"Have you ever dated anyone?" Ye Futian would not not let her go. "No comment means yes."
"No." Hua Jieyu slightly bit her lips as she stared at him with anger.
"Me neither; what a coincidence." Seeing her angry actually made him smile.
Hua Jieyu suddenly stopped. When Ye Futian looked back at her, he noticed that her young and delicate face was shining in the rays of the early morning sunlight. This made him forget everything he had had on his mind.
"You are seriously shameless." Hua Jieyu turned around and left. A smile appeared on Ye Futian's face when he saw her gradually disappear.
The academy was busier than ever today. Crowds of people were continually entering the academy.
Every Fall Quarter Exam, the big local chiefs of Qingzhou would join the event, as would the parents of the current students. They were all qualified for entry. Those who could not enter would wait outside, looking forward to finding out which students had stood out this time.
Although all the exam participants were kids, the eldest of whom were still under eighteen, the stars of this exam would definitely be prominent chiefs of Qingzhou in the future. Most of the big chiefs that watched this event were also former students of the academy. The exam drew attention from all over the city.
"The legendary girl of Qingzhou Academy, Hua Jieyu, has aced the written test all three years. I bet she will take our breath away this time."
"Yang Xiu has been right behind her in second place for the past three years. He might outperform her."
"Murong Qiu, the son of the remarkable Murong family, is already in the Unmaker Plane; in fact, he has already qualified to be an official student. Rumor has it he wanted to be official along with the unquestioned No.1 of the Fall Quarter Exam, so he refused to be official without the exam. This might be his last try."
"Don't forget the son of the chamberlain for the Ye family, Yu Sheng. He would have been an official student last Spring if it weren't for Ye Futian. Remember, he is only fifteen."
The crowd outside spoke as if they knew everything about the academy. It showed how influential the academy was around the city.
Ye Futian returned to his dorm. Yu Sheng was reassured seeing him back, and asked him, "Are you alright?"
"I'm better than alright," Ye Futian laughed. Suddenly, his body started cracking with the sound of thunder. Thunderbolts ran through his body with absolute control from his mind.
"Wow, amazing; that is the power of the Invincible Plane." Yu Sheng was surprised that Ye Futian had it made into another plane with the power of thunder. It seemed the interaction with the dragon had made him even stronger.
"You can try some basic spells now," Yu Sheng said.
"Not enough time, buddy. The Fall Exam has started," Ye Futian said.
"Your father is coming to the event to watch you."
"He's coming?" Ye Futian was shocked for a moment, then smiled. He realized that this time might be a big surprise for his father.
Ye Futian changed, then he and Yu Sheng left the dorm for the battle arena.
The arena was equipped with three thousand desks, all lined up in rows. In the front, over the staircases, there were many official students and professors from the academy. The stands on the sides were filled with people, including the big chiefs of Qingzhou and parents of the students.
Ye Futian's presence drew some attention, most of it out of confusion. The story of him being rejected by Feng Qingxue, and Feng Qingxue being accompanied by Murong Qiu during the hunt, had spread all over the city. Then there was the story of his altercation with the demon boa in Mount Tianyao. He was only adding to his notorious reputation; in fact, he looked tough. Few would survive after being attacked by a demon boa.
"The academy officially announced it was a demon boa that attacked you," Yu Sheng told Ye Futian. Ye Futian nodded and scanned the far corner of the stand, then smiled.
"Come on," he said, running towards the corner.
There was a small group sitting there. Ye Baichuan was chatting with another middle-aged person. He saw Ye Futian coming and called out, "Listen, I am only here for you, do you understand? If you perform horribly, never tell anyone that you are my son again."
Ye Futian felt humiliated. "Seriously, dad? Not in public. Can you at least try not to embarrass me?"
"Now you know you have a reputation to protect?" He was surprised at Ye Futian's response, as he had heard how shameless his son could be.
"I feel so sad," Ye Futian said, patting his own forehead.
"Stop pretending. Did you offend my future daughter-in-law?" Ye Baichuan just would not let him off the hook. Ye Futian soon found that Feng Qingxue was sitting quietly next to Mr. Feng. She avoided making eye contact with him.
"Ye Baichuan, when the hell did I promise you that my daughter would be your daughter-in-law? Stop that nonsense," Feng Ruhai told Ye Biachuan.
"Uncle Feng..." Ye Futian was disturbed by what was happening.
"Boy, how are you doing in your cultivation recently? Any better?" Feng Ruhai asked him.
"Of course. There has been some progress. Otherwise I would not have shown up for the exam," Ye Futian told him.
"Good for you. You are still young; you should focus on your cultivation. Do not think and talk about nonsense like your father." Feng Ruhai stared at Ye Baichuan.
"Roger that," Ye Futian laughed.
"Yu Sheng, we really have some expectations for you this time," Feng Ruhai said, looking at Yu Sheng.
"Okay." Yu Sheng seemed indifferent.
"Go prepare yourselves for the exam," Feng Ruhai said. They nodded, then Ye Futian and Yu Sheng turned around and left. Later, Feng Qingxue left in another direction.
"What's wrong with these kids? Do you have any idea?" Ye Baichuan frowned, feeling confused. Ye Futian and Feng Qingxue had quarreled with each other all the time when they were young. Something must have been wrong if they were just staying silent.
People spoke casually amongst themselves. Even though it was only the written test today, the audience still showed high interest. Knowledge was as crucial as talent, and served as the foundation for their futures. The weaker students with profound experience could beat out those who were stronger than them in the future.
The students entered and took their seats. There were three thousand of them. How grand it was!
Ye Futian and Yu Sheng entered and sat down in a row. Ye Futian took a deep breath. This was his first time taking the Fall Quarter Exam. It was impossible not to be nervous.
"It's her! Hua Jieyu!" A girl entered and suddenly drew all the attention from the crowd.
She was in a light-colored suit, but she was so beautiful that she seemed to shine over everyone.
"God, such a beauty." The students were amazed.
"She is so gorgeous, and she is only fifteen. I bet three years from now she will be a 'Helen of Troy' for the boys." People believed that with her beauty and talent, she would definitely be a troublemaker in the future. Even some of the big chiefs knew that she had quite a history.
"People say that Murong Qiu was rejected by her?" In the stands, a member of the Murong family seemed disappointed by these words.
"It's okay. With such talent, how can you expect her to accept any boy in this city? It's a pity for Murong Qiu, though. He would have been an official last year if not for her," someone said to the member of Murong family, trying to comfort them.
Yep, she is a fox. Ye Futian also noticed her and the fact that she had drawn everyone's attention. No one else could ever manage to do this except her.
Hua Jieyu stood for a while, scanning the rows for a spot. Soon she began walking again. All the students that had already sat down were praying to themselves that she would stop next to them.
However, none of their fantasies came true. She finally stopped and picked a seat. People stopped praying, and began to wonder who was the lucky bastard she had chosen to sit next to.
Suddenly, they all froze in shock, completely baffled by her choice.